Building permit moratorium on table in autonomous vehicle council discussion
A 45-day moratorium on the issuance of new building permits for Autonomous Vehicle (AV) fleet service uses would require a four-fifths vote to implement
Culver City will consider implementing a 45-day moratorium on issuing new building permits for the operations of autonomous vehicle (AV) fleet services like Waymo and moving a new AV policy forward at Monday night’s city council meeting. The council will discuss directing staff to draft an AV policy document and interim moratorium ordinance concurrently, but the latter decision would require a four-fifths vote to implement.
A series of inquiries about Culver City's policy on AV operations directed to Culver City’s Current Planning Division — which fields development requests and reviews them for conformance with the City’s planning policies and standards — along with internal concerns over the unique way AVs operate led staff to bring the item to the council for consideration. Enabling vehicle-related land uses like autonomous vehicle fleet operations and facilities may also run contrary to Culver City’s General Plan, which contains objectives related to active transportation and pedestrian-oriented development.
"Staff has been asked whether the Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) allows AV fleet service operations, which zoning districts may accommodate such uses, and whether any applicable development standards, operational requirements, or other regulatory provisions exist," Monday night's staff report reads.
Similar conflicts with the General Plan were cited as the legal justification to implement the moratorium on new drive-through building permits. A moratorium on building permits related to AV fleet operations would not impact any facility in the city strictly used for charging vehicles, as the state has implemented strong protections around their development and operation.
Christian May-Suzuki
The use of AV fleets differs from ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft in several ways. The queuing and stacking in the public right-of-way and the potential for continuous 24-hour facilities with staging, dispatching, and associated activities can lead to many negative impacts for residents, city staff noted in Monday night's staff report.
Concerns presented by staff include obstruction of alleyways and emergency vehicle travel lanes, noise and lighting impacts, and worries surrounding the limited on-site staffing or direct operational oversight at fleet staging or dispatch facilities.
The popularity and trust in Waymo and AV fleet services have steadily increased since its first full deployment in late 2024, but issues still remain. An increasing number of parents have built enough trust to turn to Waymo as a way to transport their children to school. However, stories about malfunctioning cars, including Waymo’s recall of 3,600 vehicles in June that could drive into closed freeway construction zones, are still relevant in discussions around AVs.
Noise stemming from AV facilities has also been seen as an issue in other nearby jurisdictions, and a legal precedent to cement it as a nuisance related to AV operations could be coming. A Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge recently ordered Waymo to cease overnight charging at two charging stations in Santa Monica as proceedings related to a public nuisance lawsuit filed by the city move forward.
This decision comes after over a year of complaints from residents in Santa Monica about the noise generated by the hundreds of vehicles stored at the stations. This order does not prevent Waymo from operating in Santa Monica, and Culver City is not considering banning AV operations entirely Monday night.
The council could also choose to forgo a moratorium and begin the process of creating a policy around AV operations without halting permits during that process. Culver City last updated its zoning code before the California Public Utilities Commission fully authorized the deployment of AV fleets in 2024, leaving a gap in the city's policy.
“In the absence of applicable definitions or regulations," Monday night’s staff report reads, "AV fleet services are not currently identified as a permitted or regulated land use within the City.”
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